Potato lovers’ Irish recipe for boxty

Delicious and simple style of potatoes dates back to the Irish famine and is now having a culinary revival.

Traditional Irish potato cakes, or boxty, are mostly associated with the north midlands of Ireland in Connacht and Ulster. The people of Mayo, Sligo, Donegal, Fermanagh, Longford, Leitrim and Cavan are particularly big fans of this delicious and simple style of potatoes.

It is thought that boxty dates back to the days or the Irish famine, presumably to make the potatoes stretch further. There are a couple of different recipes, but all contain finely grated, raw potatoes served fried.

There are some variations on the classic recipe, such as boiling the patty like a dumpling or baking it like a loaf. With the modern palette being more diverse, some people add spices or vegetables into the mix. However, the plain old griddled style is the original and traditional and wonderfully tasty.

Over the last couple of years, as the Irish became more interested in their own cuisine, the popularity of boxty has risen. It’s now quite normal to see boxty on a menu in a restaurant in Ireland, whereas a decade ago it would have been considered a ‘peasant dish.’ However, boxty has always been popular as part of Irish home cooking.

As one traditional (if out-dated) rhyme explains:

Boxty on the griddle,Boxty in the pan,If you can’t make boxty,You’ll never get your man.

RECIPE

Ingredients:

1 cup raw, grated potatoes

1 cup leftover mashed potatoes

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp salt

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup (about) milk to mix

Butter or oil for frying

Sugar (optional)

Method:

Place the grated raw potatoes in a clean cloth and twist to remove excess moisture.